14:1 At that time Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations 14:2 went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 14:3 These last five kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 14:4 For twelve years they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 14:6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert. 14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.
14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and prepared for battle. In the Valley of Siddim they met 14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, but some survivors fled to the hills. 14:11 The four victorious kings took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions when they left, for Lot was living in Sodom.
14:13 A fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty with Abram.) 14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew had been taken captive, he mobilized his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders as far as Dan. 14:15 Then, during the night, Abram divided his forces against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of the people.
14:17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) 14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by the Most High God,
Creator of heaven and earth.
14:20 Worthy of praise is the Most High God,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.14:21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow 14:23 that I will take nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing except compensation for what the young men have eaten. As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”
Source links & tools
The following are two great links to commentaries about this chapter and the last. They helped a lot.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=92
http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=93
My key take-away is that God's timing is impecable (and perfect). Bo & Jackie, we have both talked in the last few days about, "how do I know if I am doing God's will?" I think the last two chapter's combined nailed it. The answer is now clear in my mind. I am always on the path to do God's will. But the path may not be the straightest (or the easiest). In fact no matter what choice I make God has already accounted for that. The amazing thing about God is that He accomplishes His will through us.
Back to the chapters - God promised to bless Abram if he left his family and home. Abram left for Canann (but with Lot). Abram then left the promised land (to go to Egypt). They kicked him out (with new wealth). Abram and Lot prospered so much that they had to separate (finally Abram has "left" his family). Lot picks the more prosperous land. Lot loses it all. Abram gets it back and gives proper credit to God. What a crazy story. Even if you choose "wrong" it is still right.
I have made a lot of decisions in my life and a few have resulted in things that I didn't plan. Here are two that have worked out differently (and better) than planned. I left NY for FL. I choose UF because it was closer to Melbourne. Unplanned - met my wife. We moved to UT for a better career. Unplanned - I found God, a church, and a spiritaul mentor second to none.
Okay there is a third example but when he is old enough to post he can tell you about it.
Hey buddy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sites. They really helped to explain the significance of these readings. Some days it really speaks to me, other days, I need some help.
Glory be to God for giving us the opportunity to read about his Perfect Plan.
I'm glad you both posted before me because your comments helped me to better understand the chapter. Sometimes I read these chapters and I think to myself, "What was the point of all that?" Then I read your comments and am blown away by your insight. My first thought after reading the chapter was that war is good for absolutely nothing and stems from greed. A simple thought, I know, but sometimes I think were not supposed to read more into things than what is blatantly provided.
ReplyDeleteWar...uh, good God y'all,
ReplyDeleteWhat is it good for..
Absolutely nothing say it again, huh...
War, uh. etc. etc.
Sorry, just made me think of that song, and Jackie Chan's version from Rush Hour:)